Database Users

XDA II: Phone not working anymore and where to repair in US?

Not quite sure what the issue is with this one. Back in the beginning of the year my XDA II fell from waist height when the carry case snap popped open (notebook bag brush across the front catching on the flap). The only noticeable problem after that was that the power button no longer works, so I have to power it on by pressing the phone or address book buttons etc.
About a month and a half after that incident the phone suddenly just stopped getting signal. I was using the standard shipping firmware with a few apps. Soft reset, hard reset both failed to fix the issue, the phone simply will not pick up the network. Interestingly enough if I play with the phone settings and go through the process of manually selecting a network the phone WILL pick up available networks in the area (this kills my idea that the GSM radio failed altogether). For now I've had to switch back to a junk phone as I've been unable to figure this one out. Anyone have any ideas on this one? I'm using T-Mobile for a service provider and I'm based out of California.
Also, does anyone know of a place that can do diagnostic/repairs here in the U.S.? So far my searches have come up empty.
Thanks in advance.

Give this a try:
Reflash the phone with any version of ROM and it should start working fine again. I think the problem is that you're radio firmware somehow got corrupt.

Ok, guess I'll have to give it a try. I've been avoiding trying the slightly riskier stuff as I got this thing via an independant third party, so warranty/support are iffy.
Is there a general release ROM that I should be looking for (using T-Mo in U.S.)? Or should I look to cooking my own (which I'd rather not)?

You can try upgrading the ROM with the same branded one. That shouldn't void the warranty.
I.e. If you've got an O2 device, get the new O2 ROM

Reflashing
I have had a simular problem with hard locking. Finally my phone quit working all together. I went into boot loader mode and flashed it. It's like having a new phone again. So yeah.. I think the ROM's can get corrupt.
Brandon

NeoCole: Looks like you are using T-Mo in the U.S. Mind if I asked what you flashed yours with? Did you use a specific ROM, Radio Stack version etc.?
I'm running an unlocked i-mate (contradictory to my subj title, I know).

Flash it with the T-mobile 1.72 ROM

ROM Version
Well.. I flashed it with the IMATE 1.72 ROM and used most of it's extended ROM. I used the battery Meeter from the Qtek extended rom. I built most of my extended ROM Myself.
I look at T-Mobile's Beta 1.72 ROM like I look at Windows ME. Both should have never happend. I can't count how many times I had a hard reset with the T-Mobile ROM. I'm not sure if it was a combination of the programs I was useing or not. I saw a post that said SBP was possibly causing the problem. So I quit using SBP products. Later I still had to HARD RESET from time to time. Now that I'm running differently, My device has never been so smooth.
Let me know if this helps,
Brandon

Looks like I'm pretty much screwed. Without a working power button I can't do a hard reset into bootloader mode. When I try using a utility app that allows me to do a hard reset I can't hold down the jog dial at the same time. Good times.
*edit: yeah, that would be 'can't' hold down the jog dial.

You don't need to boot into the bootload to perform an upgrade... the upgrade software takes care of everything for you (except the hard reset at the end)

All you need to do is sync through Activesync and then run the upgrade program.

I would (and have!) flash the imate 1.72 ROM. It is very stable for me and HAS improved the battery life of my imate.
As stated above, just start the flash process and it will put the device into bootloader mode and perform the flash. It will need a HR at the end, but since your power button is not working, maybe you could remove the battery, slide the red slide/switch back into place for a few seconds as if the battery were there, then slide it back, put in the battery, slide it back into place and press one of the puttons to turn it on.
Hey . . . it might just work!

imate 1.72 ROM did the trick. After I actually READ all the posts regarding the ROM I realized it came with an installer and got that done. So far so good. Now if I could only find my missing tomtom 3 cd key that went MIA during my last move

Hey, that's fabulous! Welcome back to the world of convergence.

NoGSM after phone drop

I recently dropped my 8525 hard enough to throw battery out of phone. I reinserted battery and started phone. Though I lucked out as everything seemed to work until I couldn't make a call. During boot I get "no GSM" instead of a battery version. I have done a hard reset, but it didn't help. I going to try to install a new ROM and if needed try to flash a new radio.
Anybody else have this problem? I am afraid it is a hardware malfunction in the radio.
If I cannot get this to work (I have already bought a new phone) I will be more then willing to donate (just pay for shipping) the phone to anyone who would like to work on it or test things on it. I have one half good battery and one good battery as well. Like I said everything seems to work but the actual phone. Let me know if you want it.

meh, that is not good news my friend, hope you get it fixed!
if it is a no go however, i wouldn't mind taking it off your hands
best of luck,
tbae2

Try to reflash original or stock rom. Go with the carrier rom you are supposed to have. It might work as there have been reports to indicate this.
Hope it works for you.
Cheers...

I have recently gone through similar problems, there are numerous things that can cause the NO GSM error on post. So here is the complete solution:
1. Some hard drops can jostle the antenna connection on the board, (a dodgy way of testing if this is the issue is to give the phone a shake and a few soft resets, the NO GSM error will sometimes disappear and state your radio version). There are numerous service manuals that describe how to disassemble and reassemble your handset (read the forums). It sounds scary at first, but so does not having a working phone (be sure you are out of warranty first). You will want to get some electronic circuit board cleaner and give the area around the golden clip on the top left (back facing up) a good spray (while you are at it, why not clean out some dust scroll button detritus). Then dry and reassemble, taking care to force the antenna all the way into the clip.
2. If step one really scares you or you are still in warranty, skip straight to here. A program called mtty (i use vers 1.42 , check the forums) can be used to interrogate the board logic from the bootloader, there are numerous tasks that can be used to clear registers and check gates for errors (for lack of a better word), the wiki has a great entry on all these.
3. A reflash of the radio and maybe even the os isn't a bad idea either... although remember that the latest radio may not be the best for your area/network (READ THE FORUM on this too)
Let us know how you go with it all, and good luck
if you need any further assistance PM me.

ultramag69 said:
Try to reflash original or stock rom. Go with the carrier rom you are supposed to have. It might work as there have been reports to indicate this.
Hope it works for you.
Cheers...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This was my idea last night as well. Froze on bootloader. I tried to also Install new radio but also a no-go. I am now downloading a new ROM without radio to see if I can get something other then bootloader. I will keep posted.
I can take the phone apart if I need to, I will make it a last resort. I am not afraid to though as I already have a new phone.
Seeing as I still cannot figure out how to make a ROM to contribute (vista and lack of programing skills) This would be a way I can assist If it would be more useful to someone here not dismantled I would like to look into it.
Update:
The radio hardware must be bad. I cannot flash a new radio or any rom with a radio. Schap's EM6 is working fine. I am going to look into discodergenson 's suggestion of taking the phone apart.

Schematic Diagram
Hi, I have a HTC 8525, with the same problem, doesnt start phone module.. anyway, in my phone, the sim card is not detected. Anybody have schematic diagram for this model? Or any other htc model, for reference.
I think this problem can be caused by dry solder in the driver of sim card, must identify it.
Thanks in advanced
(Sorry for my bad english)

datachaos said:
Hi, I have a HTC 8525, with the same problem, doesnt start phone module.. anyway, in my phone, the sim card is not detected. Anybody have schematic diagram for this model? Or any other htc model, for reference.
I think this problem can be caused by dry solder in the driver of sim card, must identify it.
Thanks in advanced
(Sorry for my bad english)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think a bad SIM card connection is a problem. Without a SIM card the phone still needs a radio connection to make 911 calls.
also obviously I only have a t8 and higher, not a t6 which is needed to take phone apart. I will update when I get phone apart.

Dropped Hermes-Shows No GSM and Other Problems

I dropped my phone from a low distance and now on the bootup screen it shows a message saying no GSM. The ROM version is 1.34.502.1 but on the radio version tab there is no number or anything. On protocol version there is also no number or letters. Also there is nothing for the IMEI. I cannot open up the program (phone) or text anyone. I have tried a hard reset and some soft resets but those did not work. My sound quit working too.......
Also if this helps, i have WM5
OS 5.1.195(build 14955.2.3.0)
Wifi - works
Bluetooth - works
All other Programs (besides phone) - works
All i want to know is if i can fix GSM and if i can then sound and my broken LCD are very small problems.
Thanks

ZZsk8erZZ said:
I dropped my phone from a low distance and now on the bootup screen it shows a message saying no GSM. The ROM version is 1.34.502.1 but on the radio version tab there is no number or anything. On protocol version there is also no number or letters. Also there is nothing for the IMEI. I cannot open up the program (phone) or text anyone. I have tried a hard reset and some soft resets but those did not work. My sound quit working too.......
Also if this helps, i have WM5
OS 5.1.195(build 14955.2.3.0)
Wifi - works
Bluetooth - works
All other Programs (besides phone) - works
All i want to know is if i can fix GSM and if i can then sound and my broken LCD are very small problems.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Before assuming something very major, let's be sure all the routine things have been tried:
1
Hard reset - you've tried that, but it's worth trying again, but first try number 2 below
2
Remove the battery from the phone for 30 minutes or so and reboot after doing number 3 below:
3
Remove the SIM card, clean the contacts. Insert and re-insert it several times. This cleans the contats on both the card and the phone.
As you say the sound is likely just a loose connector and the LCD, just a case of getting the correct make (there are at least 3 non interchangeable brands)
Mike

I'm afraid your phone still did receive hardware damage Looks like the radio chip soldering is the least reliable (on certain models?) and can be easily broken, thus so many people have the dreaded "No GSM" problem and are unable to flash a new radio.

I think it's just your SIM-Card, which has loosen due to the drop.
I dropped my Phone so many times, i stopped counting. It now looks horrible scarred but it works like the first day i bought it.

playdo said:
I think it's just your SIM-Card, which has loosen due to the drop.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In that case, the phone would just display a "No SIM card" notification. But since ZZsk8erZZ's Hermes displays "No GSM" at boot time, I'm afraid the problem is more serious than that. At any rate, it wouldn't do any harm if ZZsk8erZZ checks how securely is his SIM card inserted into the slot.

I added a few pieces of paper to the sim to push it against contacts but that didnt work. Ill try to reflash radio and if not then... i will have to go with my razr. How i wish i could use my 8525. Thanks anyways.

You can do a few things to get it back. First you have to open the case - a task that should take a few minutes with the right tools - the instructions are posted here and everywhere. Once open - RESEAT EVERY CONNECTOR and put it back together. If it doesn't work (ie still NO GSM) the motherboard is damaged and no amount of flashing will bring it back. These things are VERY sensitive and although they were made for road warriors they weren't built for them. The boards are multilayered and the connectors aren't (except for the dpad) screwed down. The flexiribbon cable is also a very weak design and cracks over time when you slide the keyboard in and out.
If the board is damaged you can do a few things - if the case and screen/keyboards are in great shape - buy a totally cosmetically trashed unit and put in the motherboard into your phone - otherwise strip it for parts and sell them on ebay - there is a market for dpads if working, flex cables and other small bits including the rear antenna plug - even small case bits will fetch some cash. Add it up and go shopping for a decent 8525. Supplies seem to be dwindling and prices are still pretty high though for unblemished fully working units. Just ask the sellers ALOT of questions before jumping in. They may say the unit freezes sometimes or there are a few working defects in these I'd walk away.
I got stuck with a TYTN HERMES 200 where the seller said everything was fine but it would freeze sometimes. Got the phone - was pristine but had the NO GSM error sometimes then fully died in a matter of days. Fortunately snapped it up for only 45. Bought a working HERMES 100 AT&T for 40 locally which worked perfectly except the seller messed up the LCD.

NoGsm Herm200
Hi!
I do have also a broken Herm200. I have droped it from the table, and since then I have NoGsm error when booting. I have tried several rom flashing but every time it stops on 12% flashing. Even when I did it with microSD was the same.
IPL - OK
SPLASH 1 - OK
SPASH 2 - OK
EXTROM - OK
GSM - when gets here the flashing stops.
OS -
Before that I had tryed several hard resets, soft resets, different key combination, and many, many ways...but still NoGsm is present.
I am now seeking for a motherboard.
If you know anyone...
Thank you

pleas!!
hello
The message “NO GSM” started suddenly appearing on start-up and of course the phone is not functional afterwards.
[[Category:HTC_Hermes]]

Hello
Sorry for the inconvenience, but I have a problem in Device
I hope I help me solve it
I own a HTC Hermes, when start-up letter (no GSM) and then complete the boot
But rading SIM card
After the time is not responding
Perhaps needs a file (radio) or (rom) I do not know
I raise the files on the Web
(4Shared) or (Media Fire)
Thank you very much

Issues like crazy

Ok first off im a total noob when nit comes to Windows mobile. Ive been using a Palm treo for 2 years and was given an att 8525 for free i just have to see if i can fix it. i have searched for my issues in other threads and found some but not all of the issues, so here goes
~Screen fades to white and if squeezed on the left side will come back but then fades out again and it seems to be worse when slid open. (i believe this is the flex cable issue that ive read about)
~Radio drops out one min i have full bars and the next nothing. i havent found any patterns to it.
~When send sms it will send a few but then i will get a few that come back saying phone not ready.
~Power button has a almost exact 23 second delay from the time you push it to the screen comming on ( i noticed that after i did a fresh install of wm6 it went away for a little while and then came right back)
~Wifi wont connect to secure network (i enter the PW and it will connect then as soon as i igo to a website it says cannot connect and then asks me for the PW again)
~SD card inserted and phone doesnt show any signs of recognizing it including when you go to setting/system/memory it says card not installed, doesnt even light up when you insert the card
Thank you in advance for any help even iif its direction to a forum that has answers that might help.

Damn, your 8525 has alot of problems, iam guessing it was dropped??. There may be a chance that all these repairs will cost you the price of a working used hermes. Anyways, I had the same radio problem as you, and it was the most longest, and stressfull thing ever to get it to actually work. I was opening up hardware, flashing radio/roms, using mtty, numerous of times. Trust me, its not worth it. And if your flex cable is damaged its gonna cost $30 or more to fix. And if wifi or SD card slot is broken too, the device is practically an PDA of the past. You could try to fix it(With the possiblitiy of killing yourself from all that stress), or sell it on ebay for parts(sells for a decent price actually).

Thank you for your response. was kind of afraid that was the response i was gonna get. damn that sux. the $30 for the flex cable i could swing, but from what your saying it sounds like majority of my issues are hard ware and not software (like i was hoping) and ive priced most of that out and might as well buy a new one i agree. thanks though ill keep playing with it. but now i know not to get my hopes up.

For sd card problem, you might be able to get it to recognize the sd card if you insert then do a soft reset, others have had this issue. I'd also check to see if the sd card is registering on the pc with a card reader because if its not, you may need to get a new sd card.
Wifi, Might be a rom problem... Read up on the thread if others have this problem, might have a fix or might need to find another rom...

Here are Some of the Fixes that i have found and some of the issues i am still having~~
~Screen fades ---fixed Kinda, i have disassembled the phone checking all the connections and putting tape tightly over all connections, i still get the white screen on occasion but its %90 better and i can always press on the bottom ov the screen and bring it right back
~Radio drops out one min i have full bars and the next nothing. i havent found any patterns to it. (still an issue but am trying to update radio ROM to one that i read in the forums that is supposed to be better for my carrier. If i can get the RUU issue corrected)
~When send sms it will send a few but then i will get a few that come back saying phone not ready. (i have found it is realted to the radio issue above)
~Power button has a almost exact 23 second delay-- i have found it seems to be correctable if i make sure there are not alot of stuff running. (found a program that actually closes the apps with the x button instead of just minimizing them)
~Wifi wont connect to secure network--didnt really do anything but seems to be working again (who knows)
~SD card inserted and phone doesnt show any signs of recognizing it including when you go to setting/system/memory it says card not installed, doesnt even light up when you insert the card... still an issue but now it will on occasion recognize the SD Card.
Thank you in advance for any help even iif its direction to a forum that has answers that might help.

Can't get HTC HD2 working again!

Hi
Ok so my phone was working fine on a custom ROM when suddenly yesterday an exclamation appeared next to the phone signal and stopped from receiving/making calls and texts. I thought it had just crashed but after soft and hard resets and changing to a few others sims I just can't get my phone signal back.
Really strange as everything was working fine. I now have trouble flashing custom ROMs and am struggling to run a stock ROM because I'm on a mac.
It's driving me crazy as my phone is now useless.
Any ideas guys?
thanks

Quick update
I've managed to get the Leo Lite ROM running and everything is good except that damn exclamation mark next to the phone to phone, which means I can't get the phone working.
Anyone know know why this is???

Have you tried the sim in a different phone?
could just be a simple issue
And I know it a simple thing............but have you got flight mode on?

johnerz said:
Have you tried the sim in a different phone?
could just be a simple issue
And I know it a simple thing............but have you got flight mode on?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply John.
Yeah currently having to use the sim in an ancient motorola and it works fine, tested with calls and texts. Also tried turning on and off flight mode but still that bloody exclamation mark stays.

That sounds like its been blocked. Theres a network there it just isn't letting it connect. Did you buy it second hand? or off ebay?

samsamuel said:
That sounds like its been blocked. Theres a network there it just isn't letting it connect. Did you buy it second hand? or off ebay?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey Sam
Do you know what, I did buy it second hand, from a reputable store in town.
However this raises more questions than answers;
1. Why would it be blocked after several weeks of normal use.
2. Doesn't some sort of message need to be displayed stating the handset has been blocked.
Does anyone know if this is what happens when a HTC HD2 is blocked? i.e. the exclamation being shown all the time.
I presume a handset is blocked for security measures like theft. I will take it back to the shop tomorrow, they will have all the details of the person who sold it to them.
However is there no way this can happen from flashing custom ROMs? Even though that doesn't really make sense cause I had a ROM that was working fine and this happened when I was out and about.

It could be a bad rom, but it certainly wouldn't be in every rom.
I think id try going back to the stock rom, radio and spl (i.e an sd card flash, do you now if it has a provider locked rom?) and see if it is still there. If it still won't work, then it's definately either hardware or network.
The reason it could have taken weeks is, , seller trades in phone for cash, waits a little while, thinks 'i know'..., reports the phone lost/stolen to claim on insurance, insurance won't pay out without the imei being blocked.

samsamuel said:
It could be a bad rom, but it certainly wouldn't be in every rom.
I think id try going back to the stock rom, radio and spl (i.e an sd card flash, do you now if it has a provider locked rom?) and see if it is still there. If it still won't work, then it's definately either hardware or network.
The reason it could have taken weeks is, , seller trades in phone for cash, waits a little while, thinks 'i know'..., reports the phone lost/stolen to claim on insurance, insurance won't pay out without the imei being blocked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I've tried flashing at least 6 custom ROMs, all show the exclamation mark.
The phone was sold to me as being unlocked to all networks, however I never tried with anything other than a o2 sim.
Now going back to the original ROM has its own problems. First off i'm quite new at this so sorry for sounding silly. How on earth do i go about finding out what the original stock rom, radio and spl is?
When I have these I can't easily go back as I don't have a pc, using a mac. I would have to use the sd card way but I can't find an official signed .nbh file.

I have a brand new T-Mo US HD2 with similar issue (out of the box). It's like the radio will not initialize. Did hard resets, tried to force it finding a carrier, etc, and it just will not turn on the radio.
I did find out that there is a likely issue with my SIM slot. If I attempt to remove my SIM card (which works fine in other phones) it is almost unremoveable and feels jammed in. However, once removed, I get connectivity via wifi and touch response is great.
If I insert a SIM card, it takes a LOT of pressure to reinsert it (yes, inserting it in the correct orientation), and the phone cannot connect turn on the phone's radio. Also, I get random phone.exe and credential.exe error message (plus the phone becomes very slow.
Don't know if you have any of these other symptoms, but the lack of connectivity sounds similar.
Supposed to get a replacement HD2 today, and we'll see.

I had the same problem too. I got unlocked code from tmoile and everything working fine for a month. It was working great after upgrade the latest rom 3.14 from tmobile download site (i got the message from them to upgrade), until i went out off country last month then the phone could not turn the phone's radio on. It kept at airplane mode. I been try to flash back and forth all the tmobile .50 stock rom and still having the problem.
Does any one know the issue to fix it? TIA

Looks like a hardware fault. You need to open case and check bottom two brass hinges are in working order and correctly hinged to make contact with antenna which is on the rear case at the bottom.
Follow the guide of opening s HD2 on YouTube there is a factory guide to dismantling the HD2.

xlr8me said:
Looks like a hardware fault. You need to open case and check bottom two brass hinges are in working order and correctly hinged to make contact with antenna which is on the rear case at the bottom.
Follow the guide of opening s HD2 on YouTube there is a factory guide to dismantling the HD2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for reply xlr8me. I just check the two brass hinges at the right side of usb connector. It looks fine to me. The other thing i didn't mention on the above post I was flash the dft_leo_nand android after tried all the stock rom from tmobile and the android said "no sim card", i also checked and cleaned the sim slot. Do you think any thing else to cause that problem?
One more thing without the sim or sd card the about phone show up all info of phone: imei, serial..... But with sim card in it just blank when i read the about phone hardware info. Thanks again

Did you try simcard from another carrier?

cecobald said:
Did you try simcard from another carrier?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I did tried the sim from the carrier of the asia country i was traveling to last month, that why i call tmobile to get the unlock code before i go. When i was there and inserted their carrier's sim and it won't work, even when i get back to U.S. I been tried either tmobile or at&t sim too. The phone radio won't turn on. The rest is working ok except those above error messages "A problem has occurred with device.exe" and "Credential.exe".
Do you think i can reflash with WWE rom .50 radio instead of tmobile's official rom?
Thanks

htcphonelover,
You will have to reset the phone back to default rom from htc website. You may also need to reformat sd card but the radio should still work regardless of whether the sd card is in or out.
My only concluding thoughts are that if the above fails to work then try a different sim card and still no good then probably something with the motherboard on HD2.
Good luck and update us with any new info..